


Out of the Woods

by PeaceBlessingsPeyton



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Smut, episode 3x09, missing moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 11:06:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17263109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeaceBlessingsPeyton/pseuds/PeaceBlessingsPeyton
Summary: Even with the town of Riverdale burning to the ground around them, all she can see is him. Her anchor, her safe harbor in a storm, her soulmate.A (possible) missing moment in 3x09.





	Out of the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Out of the Woods by Taylor Swift.
> 
> Special shout out to @bugggghead for taking the time to beta this for me!

Betty looked at herself in her bedroom’s vanity mirror. She was still wearing her uniform from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and she couldn’t help but grimace in disgust at how greasy her hair looked and the new pimples that had formed on her chin.

 

“Uh, I really need a shower,” she mumbled to herself.

 

Looking at herself in the mirror again more closely, she could see the dark bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep and her throat still burned from all the times she had to make herself vomit Fizzle Rocks. Her knees probably had bruises too, from the number of times she hit the floor to seek deliverance from either the Gargoyle King or the porcelain gods.

 

She shuddered at the thought.

 

_“Sister, monsters don’t scare me and neither do you. I’ve seen real darkness, I’ve stared it right in the face. That’s why you couldn’t break me.”_

 

She definitely had survived worse but it didn’t make the current situation much better.

 

She sighed heavily.

 

What was next? And where was Jughead? She hadn’t talked to him since he got that ominous call from Archie. She looked at the picture of them from winter formal, biting her lower lip. He must not have known that her mother complete lost her sanity and sent her to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy… but that didn’t explain where he was now.

 

She turned around, getting up and walking over to her desk in search of her phone. She had left it on the kitchen island the night she had been taken away. If she could just call him, maybe she could figure out where he was and if he was safe.

 

Crap, what if he wasn’t safe?

 

Anxiety coursed through her like a lightning strike, knocking the air right out of her chest. She dug her nails into the tender flesh of her palms in a weak attempt to fight off the dizzy spell she knew was soon to follow.

 

Regaining her composure, she rummaged through her desk drawers. She came up empty. Sighing in frustration and briefly cursing at her mother under her breath, she decided to go downstairs and check to see if her phone was still in the kitchen.

 

Her foot had just stepped past the threshold of her bedroom into the hall when she heard the tell-tale _tap tap tap_ on her window.

 

She spun around. “Jughead,” she breathed.

 

Running to the window, she opened it, barely letting his black combat boots clash against her pale pink carpet before she threw her arms around his neck.

 

“Betts,” he whispered. “Oh thank god you’re safe.”

 

She laughed as relief flowed through her body, relaxing her. “I’ve been so worried about you.”

 

He released her. “Jesus, it’s like a full-blown zombie apocalypse out there. This town could definitely give Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd a run for their money.”

 

Betty rolled her eyes, it didn’t matter that the world was ending outside, her boyfriend wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to reference _something_ in either TV or cinema to compare to their current circumstances.

 

“How did you get here? The town is on lockdown.”

 

He tilted his head to one side, giving her his signature smirk. “There isn’t a single thing in this universe that could keep me away from you, Betty Cooper.”

 

Her heart skipped in her chest. She cupped his face, smiling before bringing his lips to hers. Her intention for the kiss was chaste, but then she felt his hands come up to her face and the firm pressure of his fingertips on the back of her neck and she couldn’t help but melt into him.

 

This was her safe place. Here, with him, in his arms with his lips melding to hers.

 

A soft moan escaped her as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He dropped his hands to her hips, fisting the material of her ratty sky blue dress in his hands. She was hoping he was going to rip it straight off but instead he stopped, breaking their kiss entirely.

 

“Wait…” he said confused. “What are you wearing?”

 

Her jaw dropped open as she went to respond but much to her dismay, nothing came out. Not because she didn’t want to tell him, she wanted to tell him everything, but because she had no idea where to start. So much had happened since they last saw each other.

 

He looked her over from head to toe, his eyebrows furrowing and she knew that he was putting the pieces together, it would only be seconds now.

 

“Betty,” he stated firmly. “Is this? Why are you wearing Polly’s uniform from the Sisters?”

 

Oh god, did she have the heart to tell him? Could she tell him that while he was off saving Archie that she was here fighting her own demons from inside the belly of the beast itself?

 

“It’s not Polly’s uniform.”

 

He stepped away from her and shook his head. “Then whose is it?”

 

She swallowed. “Mine. It’s mine.”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“After we got attacked by the Gargoyle King, my mom decided that she was going to join Polly and the twins at the Farm. Of course, I told her I wasn’t going anywhere. I couldn’t even fathom leaving Veronica after she just lost Archie again and there was no way I was leaving you… and that’s when two men in white uniforms showed up with Sister Woodhouse and they took me away.”

 

She squeezed her eyes shut involuntarily at the horrifying memory of her mother’s betrayal.

 

_“Edgar said that you would resist and that we should send you elsewhere… Betty, there’s no safer place for you now, the Sisters protected me, they protected Polly, they’ll watch over you now.”_

 

Oh how very wrong her mother had been.

 

“What?” Jughead seethed. “Your mom had you committed to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy? Is she crazy?!”

 

His outburst made her jump a little, her hands coming up to cover her stomach as she tried to keep herself together. “Apparently.”

 

He took his beanie off his head and tossed it on her bed before dragging his hand over his face as he sighed heavily.

 

He looked at her again, crossing his arms across his chest. “I shouldn’t have left.”

 

“Juggie no, you had to help Archie.”

 

He rolled his eyes. “Oh please! It didn’t matter if I was with him. The threat of death follows Archie everywhere!”

 

“No, he needed you, he-”

 

“ _You_ needed me!” he yelled, pain crossing all of his features. “I should’ve been here to stop your mom or at the very least to save you from the depths of hell that is the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.”

 

She shook her head. “Jughead, I’m fine. Besides, we both know I can handle myself.”

 

He looked down at the floor as if defeated. “I know. I know you can.”

 

She twisted her hands in front of her as she stepped closer to him, not being able to handle the distance any longer.

 

“Hey,” she called softly, bringing her hand up to his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

 

He nodded, leaning into her touch before turning his face so that he could kiss her palm.

 

“I love you,” he said shakily. “And if I had known that you had been shipped off to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, I would’ve come straight back to rescue you.”

 

Didn’t he understand? He’d already rescued her, a million times over.

 

She nodded, running her fingers through his hair. “I know,”

 

He leaned down to connect their lips again, her eyelids fluttering closed as his tongue brushed against her own. For a brief moment, it felt like déjà vu as memories of their first kiss flashed through her mind. Even then, she thought everything of him. He was the only one who _saw_ her back then, saw the pain that she was in, saw her for who she truly was.

 

He deepened the kiss, his fingertips brushing up her thighs before grabbing the hem of her dress. She nodded fervently, slipping off the scratchy burgundy cardigan and raising her arms dutifully above her head.

 

As she stood perfectly still, he pulled the material up over her head. She watched his adam’s apple bob in his throat as his eyes dragged over her, only making her desire pool at the apex of her thighs even more. In a flash, he lifted her, making her squeal before he laid her gently on the bed, her hair fanning around her like a halo. He started attacking her collarbone with wet hot kisses and bites, making her moan loudly.

 

“Where’s your Mom?” he asked against her skin.

 

She squeezed her eyes shut, arching her body into his as he slipped his hand into the cup of her bra.

 

“Out looking for Veronica’s mom to see what can be done about the quarantine.”

 

“Oh good, I can take my time with you then,” he said mischievously.

 

“Juggie no,” she whined.

 

She didn’t want to go slow, after everything she’d been through over the last couple of days, she needed him and she needed him now.

 

Pushing on his chest, he sat back as she began taking off his jacket and then his shirt. “Too many clothes.”

 

Out of nowhere, she felt this sense of urgency that she couldn’t explain. Like if she didn’t get his clothes off and feel the friction of his skin against hers as soon as possible, everything was going to fall apart.

 

Getting off the bed, she made quick work of unbuckling his belt and pulling his pants down.

 

“Easy there, Betts,” he chuckled, looking up at her in amusement.

 

She held his gaze, her heart aching in her chest at the overwhelming intensity of how much she loved him. She wished she had known when they first met, when he joined her in the sandbox in kindergarten at recess when no one else would play with her that he was the one for her. She wished she hadn’t spent so much time being hung up on Archie, thinking that they were endgame when her endgame had been standing in front of her her entire life.

 

“Shoes,” she ordered as she reached around to unhook her bra.

 

After taking off his shoes, Jughead inched his way back, leaning against the headboard of her bed before holding his hand out for her. She smiled shyly at him. The privacy of the bunker had definitely given them time to practice, to explore their bodies and learn what the other liked.

 

She blushed at the memory of the last time they’d had sex in the bunker, they had both gone down on each other and she had orgasmed for the first time while he was inside her. It had been an earth-shattering experience, to say the least.

 

Straddling his lap, she lined herself up so that she could feel his tip at her entrance. She grabbed his face, kissing him hard before lowering herself ever so slowly on top of him.

 

_Soulmates,_ she thought to herself. He was her soulmate and there would never be another person in the world for her for as long as she lived.

 

She closed her eyes tightly, focusing on the feeling of him filling her completely before she rose again, dragging herself up and down slowly. She felt his fingertips sink into the soft skin on her hips, halting her movements.

 

“Look at me,” he demanded hoarsely.

 

Her eyes sprang open, they were nose to nose, not a stitch of space separating them. He loosened his grip, using his hands to guide her up and down again. She brought her hands up to his face, her fingers splayed, her hair cascading around both of them like a curtain as her mouth dropped open in the pure ecstasy from him filling her. He stilled her again, thrusting his hips upward, hitting her _there,_ making stars form in the backs of her eyes.

 

“Fuck, Betts, you feel so good.”

 

“So do you, Juggie,” she moaned in response.

 

She kissed him again, their tongues tangling as she kept her hands on either side of his throat as his hands roamed her back. They continued to rock against each other at an increasing pace and she felt herself building already.

 

She pulled away, dragging in a desperate breath of air as Jughead wasted no time in taking the opportunity to attack her neck again. His sucking, licking, and biting was just painful enough and she secretly hoped that he would leave a mark on her for the whole world to see.

 

After all, he had already left an invisible one on her long ago.

 

Her heart always filled with pure joy when she thought about the night of the Jubilee when he told her he loved her for the first time.

 

_“I love you, Betty Cooper.”_

 

Looking back, everything seemed so simple. Jason Blossom’s murder had been solved and she was hell-bent on getting his dad out of jail. Sure, things weren’t perfect but she remembered thinking that they were finally out of the woods. That they were in the clear and their lives could go back to normal.

 

Then the Serpents showed up on the steps of his dad’s trailer and Fred Andrews got shot.

 

“I’m not going to last, Betts,” Jughead said as he pressed his thumb against her already sensitive bundle of nerves. “Come with me.”

 

She felt the pressure at her center build to an almost unbearable level before she tipped over the edge, her head falling back as she cried out. She’d never admit out loud how much she loved the feeling of an orgasm building inside of her. How the hot, intense pleasure released itself, making her toes curl and her body shake uncontrollably.

 

She wilted against him as they came down from their high, Jughead’s hot breath against her neck.

 

And then she couldn’t breathe.

 

Jughead’s face immediately turned from one of pure pleasure to concern. “Betty? Are you okay?”

 

Her chest was heaving and her vision was going dark and blurry around the edges. “J-jug, Juggie, I c-can’t breath…” she choked out.

 

“Hey, hey, you’re okay,” he soothed, running his hands up and down her back. “You’re having a panic attack, Betts, just try and breathe. Breathe with me, baby.”

 

She nodded, tears burning her eyes and streaming down her face.

 

“Betty, listen to my voice, I need you to calm your breathing. Breathe with me, you can do this. In-” He breathed in and she tried to match it. “-and out. Okay, good, a few more times. In… and out.”

 

After a few moments, she felt her heart rate start to slow and her breathing return to normal. She was still shaking, and she took a gasping intake of breath before she burst into sobs, clinging to Jughead for dear life.

 

“Shh… it’s okay,” he cooed softly. “I’m here now, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

 

“When is this going to be over, Jug?” she sobbed.

 

“When is what going to over?”

 

She leaned back. “This! All the drama in our lives. We haven’t even graduated high school and we’ve already gone through so much. We’ve hurt each other and we’ve had to sacrifice so much for this town.”

 

“Betty, we will stop Hiram Lodge, we’ll beat him and take back Riverdale. I promise you that.”

 

“And then what? If you haven’t noticed, things don’t just return to normal around here.”

 

Jughead’s face softened. “Baby, nothing about us has ever been normal.”

 

“That’s not the point and you know it!” She started sobbing again as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck.

 

“You’re right, I’m sorry.”

 

“I just wish it would all end sometimes.”

 

“Hey, hey,” he said soothingly, stroking her back again. “We will get through this. Do you remember what I said to you over Labor Day weekend?”

 

She nodded, sitting up once more to look at him as he gently wiped the tears from her face with his hands.

 

“From now on we’re partners,” she whispered, echoing his words from that night. “In the Serpents, in life, in all of it.”

 

“That’s right and I meant it. No matter what, we will get through this.” He placed a kiss against her temple.

 

She nodded, reveling in the comfort his words provided her.

 

“You’re my whole life, you know that?” she confessed.

 

“You’re mine, too.”

 

“No Juggie, I mean it. You - you are my family. Not my mother or Polly - _you._ You’re the only person I’ve ever been able to count on and I just…” she paused for a moment, wondering if she’d ever be able to put into words how she felt about him and immediately felt disappointed as she realized she was about to fall short. “I just love you so much.”

 

“I love you so much, too, Betts - more than I could ever fathom.”

 

She put her face in her hands, leaning against his shoulder as he wrapped her up in his arms. They sat like that for a moment, relishing in each other’s company, in the brief quiet that she knew would be hard to come by for the foreseeable future.

 

“Ugh, I’m such a mess,” she said, laughing softly.

 

“I know but you’re my mess and a hot one at that.”

 

She rolled her eyes before climbing off of him. “You’re such a nerd.”

 

“Yeah but I’m your nerd.”

 

_Case and point,_ she thought to herself.

 

Walking into her bathroom, she turned the tap on until the water was steaming and then pulled the lever for the shower.

 

Peeking her head out of the door frame, she said, “Shower with me?”

 

He smirked at her as he got up off the bed. “I guess I could go for round two.”

 

“Yeah right!” she teased. “Only if you’re nice to me.”

 

He closed the distance between them, running his nose along hers. “Why Ms. Cooper, I live to be nice to you.”

 

She scrunched up her nose and shook her head at how cheesy he was being and envied how he had the ability to be so carefree in the most chaotic of moments.

 

But this was the epitome of who he was to her, her anchor, her safe harbor in a storm, her soulmate.

 

Maybe they weren’t out of the woods yet, but she believed Jughead that one day they would be and she promised herself that when that day came, she would make sure he knew exactly how much he meant to her.

 

_Looking at it now_ _  
_ _Last December (last December)_ _  
_ _We were built to fall apart_ _  
_ _Then fall back together (back together)_ _  
_ _Ooh your necklace hanging from my neck_ _  
_ _The night we couldn't quite forget_ _  
_ _When we decided (we decided) to move the furniture so we could dance_ _  
_ _Baby, like we stood a chance_ _  
_ _Two paper airplanes flying, flying, flying_   
And I remember thinking

_  
_ _Are we out of the woods yet? Are we out of the woods yet?_ _  
_ _Are we out of the woods yet? Are we out of the woods?_ _  
_ _Are we in the clear yet? Are we in the clear yet?_   
Are we in the clear yet? In the clear yet, good

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Everyone! 
> 
> I was listening to Taylor Swift and this one-shot popped into my mind and I sat down and got it all down in one sitting which is something I haven't been able to do in a long, long time. I hope you enjoyed it and as always, I look forward to your thoughts/comments! 
> 
> Happy New Year my friends! 
> 
> Peace & Blessings, 
> 
> -Peyton


End file.
